286 WAYFARING NOTIONS 



from Indicating your subject to scumbling in 

 your background. Just right they were, with 

 pendent bloom tassels a long way ahead of the 

 ash, for the most part hardly sprouting, and 

 many frost-nipped in the bud at that, as are the 

 walnuts, ever deliberate in putting forth their 

 shoots. The oak is before the ash this year, and, 

 no mistake, a good winner, but in a terribly slow 

 race. These two have been muddling on while 

 the grass has been making hay or getting along 

 so, sunshine or not ; and talking of oaks, we will 

 cut the rural rides cackle. No more words from 

 me about the parks and the cottage gardens, the 

 grey-green down hills and the water meadows, 

 the old stone houses, and the cool cots ; also the 

 cider, which goes better in higher temperature ; 

 the nests and the fledglings with scolding parents, 

 who had much better keep their mouths shut and 

 not cry out before the youngsters are hurt, 

 because all their nagging only gives the where- 

 abouts away ; the cock pheasants cavorting and 

 showing off to distract the attention of their or 

 somebody else's- — they don't care whose or which 

 ■ — good ladies full of household cares with roving 

 families ; the jack herons all going to bed at the 

 same time, and their spouses ; the wild duck, who 

 must make a splutter when jbysie hour falls ; and 

 the moorhens, who, male and female, would be 

 old-maidishly consequential in face of a midnight 

 earthquake ; the butcher birds and their larders ; 

 the blackbirds and thrushes, who must look 

 ahead to a plentiful diet of worms — they seem so 

 glad because of rain ; the larks in heaven's gate, 

 and the little dabchicks, under the water when 

 you look for them ; the golden gorse, marvellously 

 full of evidence that kissing is in season, and the 



